Temecula Valley Rose Society

President's Message

I have been enjoying the Olympics and the Olympians. The years of practice and learning their sport is the same for everyone of them. Each says the same, and even they have doubts sometimes of what they are accomplishing. I see that is true for all of us. We have to practice being and learn ways to manage our lives and be Olympians in our everyday encounters. Life is a process of practicing and learning. Gardening is also a process of practicing and learning AND SHARING. It is good to have others with whom we can share our love of gardening and more specifically our love of the rose. The Temecula Valley Rose Society provides a place where we can practice, learn, and share with fellow enthusiasts. We also have an opportunity to encourage others join in the pleasures of gardening with a plus of improving our own lives and accomplishments.

I am delighted that ten new members have joined the TVRS so far this year. Welcome them! Spread the word to family, friends, and neighbors, and let's make this the best year ever for TVRS membership!

Anyone with information regarding the history of TVRS Rose Society and or Rose Haven Heritage Garden please contact Rebecca Weersing or Frank Brines in an effort to create a historical tour of Rose Haven. I am hearing about more and more projects that the TVRS has been involved with in the community. So many people, agencies, and the community have benefited from our organization-maybe you can help us remember how! Many will be surprised and awed when all is learned, recorded, and published. We can be proud of what we have done for the community over the last 21years.

I've set goals for 2012 to help us grow and become a more vibrant, active organization. To help reach those goals, I need each of you to join one of the committees listed in the back of the members' roster, or on the TVRS Web site. (From the home page, click "Member's Page" then click the link to "Committees List.") Most committees meet right after the monthly members' meeting and run from 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm. We need more committee members to accomplish these goals. Many more committees need YOU to volunteer. If we don't have enough volunteers on these committees we may need to cancel some activities, events, or projects. Please don't let this happen! So, please join or renew, and become more a part of the fun, excitement, and wonderful memories that we can create together at TVRS!

The dark month of July is over and the TVRS Board is scheduled to come out of hiatus and will meet August 9 at Ron and Sochie Rumbold's home. The general membership meeting on August 16 will be a Strategic Planning for the coming year. All are welcome to attend, participate in discussions, present ideas, suggest things you would like the society to offer members and ways in which TVRS can reach it's goals.

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Rose Haven Update

August, smack in the middle of summer our valley usually receives some intensely hot weather. The mornings and evenings are refreshing and a great time to be out in the garden. Roses and other plants have held up pretty good with some extra water. Mid-August we will start some deadheading so the roses will give us a beautiful fall bloom.

There was an abundance of activity recently in the "Tree of Life" vegetable garden with volunteers and visitors, young and old planting, weeding, and watering. Clever coverings were installed to protect melons, pumpkins and squash from pesky critters. Nadav Joshua, the designer and developer, has installed additional water lines and hose bibs and guided the weed, plant, and fertilize process.

At the committee meetings we've discussed several projects; a new sign on the corner, erosion control, weeds, gophers, plant signage, scout assignments, and path improvements. Our next garden meeting is Wednesday, August 22nd at 9 a.m. All interested are invited to attend. Address is 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula.

We hope you are enjoying the "Garden Chat" email from Kathy Katz who is keeping us up-to-date on our garden activities. Please see past articles on our website here.

Youth Garden & Tree of Life News

Hi from the Garden and Youth gardening. With everybody travelling and summer in full flower we have had more groups than one might expect. Girl Scouts toured Rose Haven on Saturday and helped dig and pull weeds in the Hall of Fame and paths. They saw real live vegetables grow and got some fine plant education. Carol H., Joanne S. Kathy K. and Frank Brines saw them through.

On Thursday we had 8 Montessori pre-schoolers come to see the garden. Joanne Summers brought the materials for them to make flower arrangements. We picked roses, arranged them, and then had a flower sheet they could color. This was almost perfect as a program and we suggest it could easily be used as a standard for visiting kids groups of most ages .

The vegetable garden has been weeded and the watering adjusted yet again. Yeah. There are tomatoes turning color and yellow summer squash, tiny and tasty. (Did you know the tiniest squash are the extremely expensive backbone of the finest catering vegetarian specialties?) Somebody prematurely harvested our biggest, bestest pumpkin, and then abandoned it on the path. Perhaps that person realized they had made a mistake; maybe even our failures are a lesson for someone. We do need to make some inexpensive signs asking people to respect the vegetables as food for the poor and projects for students, but we are feeling our way.

Member Meeting Program

All members should plan to attend and be prepared to address the aforementioned topics. Individual participation is important to the success and specific planning of our organization.

A light buffet luncheon will be served around noon. Guests are welcome.

August Birthdays & New Members

The Pond in Summer

Summer Sunset Celebration

Time for our next informal evening get-together to celebrate summer and enjoy our beautiful garden with the company of other rose lovers and friends. Bring your own picnic food, tableware, and beverage.

Member Biography: Jeanne Brubaker

Many of us have had the pleasure of getting to know and work with recently new member Jeanne Brubaker. She has volunteered at Rose Haven and the First Rose Celebration this last year, and she has been very active since joining our group. She and her husband Steve chose to retire here in the Temecula Valley for the agrarian atmosphere. Her interest in the environment led her to find the opportunity to own a home where she could design a water-wise landscape and raise some of their own fruits and vegetables. They recently completed a solar energy installation, which they just started using today. Every bit helps.

Jeannne was raised in the Los Angeles area and is a graduate of El Monte High. She lived in the Bay Area with her first husband for many years, then moved to an area near the Oregon border, McCloud. She started working for the Forest Service and worked her way up to Survey Party Chief and Road Designer. She was the only woman in Region 5 to hold the position, a fine accomplishment.

She lost her first husband, and Jeanne met Steve in Weaverville, where he had a restaurant. They then moved to Arcadia, where she actively volunteered, being Secretary and President of the Soroptimist Club and a charter member of the Elks Ladies Auxiliary, while Steve was the Exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge.

Rose Care FUNdamentals

o far, this summer hasn't been as harsh as is typical. However, August and September are usually quite hot in the Temecula Valley, so take steps to protect your roses-and continue giving them a rest! When flowers fade, remove only the spent petals, do not prune or dead-head away the flower stems. By doing so, you will prevent the plant from initiating new growth which would create stress during the harshest time of the year and the tender shoots will almost certainly be damaged by the heat. Likewise, during the hot summer months, it is advisable to not fertilize or, at least, to cut back.

This does not mean forgoing soil amendments such as applying a layer (at least 2") of mulch. True, it does provide a bit of nutrition, but not enough to push the plant into a major growth spurt. Its main benefit is to help the soil hold moisture longer and spreading it out in the root zone, as well as moderating soil temperatures. These are essential during our dry hot summers.

Mulch can include anything that shades to soil. I prefer to use composted mulch, available in bulk from various local suppliers, because its nutrients are readily available. You can also use a combination of leaves, grass clippings, coffee grounds, pine needles, etc. (Pine needles are terrific because they tend to be very airy and allow water to penetrate easily, and they eventually break down to acidify the soil.) Shredded wood products are often available for free or at a low cost from arborists, the county, or municipalities. Be warned, however: In a previous garden, I applied shredded wood products and was dismayed that it eventually bred mats of fungus that made the soil impenetrable to water! This mat of fungus adhering the wood product also prevents oxygen from entering in the soil.

Another big help during the hot summer months is a drip watering system because it delivers water so efficiently to the root zone. Of course, you wouldn't want to change your plants' watering regime that radically in the middle of summer, let alone laboring out there in the hot sun! Wait until the weather cools down. When you do install the system, you'll want to survey your plants regularly to monitor the system's output: Watch for individual plants that show signs of wilting or stress, and look closely to determine if that plant's emitters are operating properly. If the entire bed seems stressed, increase the duration of the watering time.

Also, schedule watering for before sunrise so your plants are well hydrated before the heat begins. It is a myth that watering roses in the evening or at night fosters disease; such watering is harmful only if dusty leaves (which harbor mold spores) are splashed with water. Nonetheless, drip watering keeps the water down on the ground where it can't do any damage.

If you are an intrepid exhibitor and want roses for an upcoming show, count 6 to 8 weeks back from the date of the show and dare to do a mid-season feeding and pruning-but stay vigilant for any signs of water stress! As you probably already know, I prefer to use organic fertilizers and I look for a higher level of phosphate in the products I use at this time of year. It is also a good time to make your second application of the year of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts). Apply 3/4 to 1 cup around the base of the plant to each plant, and scratch and/or water it in. (Note: You can also remove rose thorns from your fingers by soaking in an Epsom salt solution!)

For more ideas, visit TVRS' Rose Haven garden at 30500 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula, as well as our web site: TemeculaValleyRosesociety.org/index.shtml.